At an altitude of 2,883 metres and nestled among the glaciers and imposing peaks of the Valais Alps, the new Monte Rosa mountain refuge rises from the icy landscape like a giant sparkling shard of rock crystal.

From the medieval Old Town of Berne to the futuristic city of Brasilia, from the tiny convent of Müstair to the imposing cathedral of Chartres, from the fertile terraced vineyards of Lavaux to the vast desert of Ténéré – all have one thing in common: they are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Quality, precision, uniqueness, reliability, tradition, design, innovation … these are just a few of the words that sum up the Swiss watchmaking industry – an industry which manages to produce timepieces that are diminutive yet highly complex, traditional yet state-of-the art.

Switzerland is synonymous with mountains. Not only do they cover one third of the country’s surface area, but they are also of major historical, geopolitical and economic importance. The mountains, for example, have been the selling point of the Swiss tourist industry for more than 100 years.